Page 48 of Rebellious

Meggie kicked him again. “Did you doubt that, jerk? You don’t think Rebel wouldn’t tell you if she didn’t like you?”

“It’s just that I asked her for sex and she said no.”

Meggie gaped at the idiot.

His eyes widened and he gulped. “She’s on birth control,” he said defensively. “I would’ve taken good care of—”

“Stop talking now,” Meggie snarled, then shook her head. “This is all my fault. What was I thinking?” She raked her fingers through her hair, unable to fully blame Kaia since she’d put him right in Rebel’s path, to outwit her husband and sons. Hoping to pull Rebel’s attention away from Diesel. She yanked her daughter out of the fire and doused her in boiling water.

“She told me no,” Kaia said, still talking, sniffling, and crying. “She said she wasn’t ready for sex with me right now.”

Meggie squinted.

“I took it to mean if fuckhead invited her to his bed, she wouldn’t deny him. I was just a fucking filler for that miserable motherfucker.”

Unfortunately, Meggie agreed with Kaia. She sat again.

“Suppose Rebel had been killed?” Kaia whispered in a broken voice. “She would’ve died hating me because I was a motherfucker. Jealous of…of…” Disgust crossed his face. “I would never have forgiven myself,” he said around tears. “I’m so sorry that I came in here to talk to you, but I didn’t have anyone to talk to and…and…don’t send me away. Please? Let me…give me a chance to win Rebel’s hand. She wants us to be friends—”

“It was a mistake for me to hire you, Kaia,” Meggie said in a soft voice, no longer furious, just heartsore. “Rebel’s young and impressionable.”

Kaia shook his head. “You’re wrong. She’s young, but she’s so fucking iron-willed. She wants what she wants and won’t allow anyone to deter her or to deny her.”

Determined, yes. But naïve. She couldn’t see Diesel for the man he truly was. Meggie hadn’t wanted to upset Rebel by denying her request to see Diesel.

Meanwhile… “I have to send you away, Kaia.” Meggie blinked away her own tears, hurting for her daughter and her rush to grow up. “You want to win her back instead of respecting the friendship boundaries she’s setting. That means you’ll pressure her.”

“I won’t. I’ll be at her beck and call. I’ll—”

Meggie laid a hand on his arm. “Good in theory, but not only will you shortchange yourself, you’ll put a lot of emotional baggage on her shoulders. She doesn’t need that from Diesel or you. You need to live your life as a young man and explore your options. Reminder: you’ve been doing that anyway. You just won’t do it behind her back. You’ll be out in the open, hundreds of miles away.”

“Rebel thinks I like Fia and should try to have a relationship with her.”

“She might be right,” Meggie said with a shrug, “but there’s no way I’ll stand for you dating that girl while living in my house. She doesn’t like me and I don’t like her. She cares about Rebel even less.”

“How does that matter?”

“Use some of the money I’ve paid you to buy a brain and figure it out.”

Kaia’s face fell. “You think I’m stupid, too?” he said morosely.

“You’re something if you expect me to agree to a scenario where you date Fia and still work for me.”

“So you did only hire me to date Rebel.”

“No, I hired you because I needed help and Rebel liked you. I don’t want you to go because you aren’t with Rebel. I want to get rid of you for the reason she broke up with you.”

His shoulders slumped and Meggie gritted her teeth.

“Listen to me, Kaia, and listen well. I’m not here to make you feel better or to agree to plans that benefit you but hurt my daughter. You can date the little old lady who lives in a shoe for all I care as long as Rebel isn’t affected. Fia is the one person who will affect Rebel’s mental health.”

“Would you rather her be with me or Diesel?”

“Neither. You’re both idiots, too old for her, cheaters, liars, and manipulators.”

“But I love Rebel, and I didn’t cheat because I don’t think she’s the most brilliant, beautiful, amazing girl alive. I cheated because I was tired of jerking off and it felt good to have such a hot chick want me just because. When a man cheats, it rarely has to do with his wife or girlfriend.”

Meggie scowled, thinking of her state when Torie came into their lives. “Says you. I beg to differ.”